Internet Archaeology 5. West Heslerton Assessment. 3.7.10

3.7.10 Stone

3.7.10.1 General

Stone is over-emphasised in the database since all imported stone was recovered where possible, and also since a large amount of natural 'Red Chalk' was initially recorded before its local significance and the preference for its use in the construc tion of furnaces was identified. Clearly this material was particularly valued since it was quarried on site and is a feature of most of the furnaces and ovens examined; it may be worthy of chemical analysis to determine what particular qualities make it so suitable for incorporation in these features. This has not been costed in this assessment and could perhaps be offered to a university as a potential student project topic.

3.7.10.2 Worked stone

Just over 9,000 items of worked stone were recovered, a statistic which once again has a serious bias, since almost all of the material consists of fragments of Mayen or Niedermendig lava quernstones. These do not generally survive well in the grou nd and the high level of fragmentation is reflected in the high figure for frequency. The highly vesicular nature of Niedermendig lava gives it particular and obviously prized properties for the manufacture of rotary quernstones, and although it is assume d that these were for grinding corn, they may have been used for beans or some other crop. The very localised source of the material, its distribution throughout northern Europe, the coincidence of the distribution of sceattas and this type of lava and the references to it in a series of letters between Charlemagne and Offa make this the most obvious indicator of high-volume trade in the Middle Saxon period. The context of this material clearly demonstrates that this trade was well established duri ng the Early Saxon Period. Niedermendig lava, often used as an indicator for Anglo-Saxon settlement, was used in earlier periods. The volumes recovered in Anglo-Saxon contexts in particular, however, are very high and, given the highly vesicular and weak structure of the material, it is very unlikely that its presence derives from re-use or residuality (see also 4.15.5 Worked stone).